SouthCoast schools reviewing security in wake of Connecticut shooting

Tuesday

Dec 18, 2012 at 12:01 AMDec 18, 2012 at 8:13 AM

School officials across SouthCoast say they will review their security protocols in light of Friday's school shooting in Connecticut to ensure they are doing everything possible to protect their students.

CHARIS ANDERSON

School officials across SouthCoast say they will review their security protocols in light of Friday's school shooting in Connecticut to ensure they are doing everything possible to protect their students.

"If there are any measures at all that we can take and haven't, then we need to implement them right away," said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, who serves as chairman ex officio of the School Committee.

Every official interviewed for this report emphasized that there are security procedures in place already: Doors at schools across SouthCoast are locked throughout the day and visitors must be buzzed in by a staff member.

Drills are conducted periodically and emergency procedures reviewed on an annual basis.

Yet Friday's incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, where a gunman burst into the school and shot and killed 26 people, 20 of them first-graders, has prompted local schools to take a close look at those existing procedures and to double check whether any changes need to be made to ensure the safety of students.

In New Bedford, Superintendent Michael Shea has asked principals to review safety procedures with staff and to check that all security equipment, including cameras at buildings' entrances, is in good working order.

Other districts in SouthCoast, including Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Westport, Old Rochester Regional and Freetown-Lakeville, are going through a similar process, which officials said was less about making wholesale changes and more about checking whether small changes need to be made and ensuring that all staff are fully trained on the procedures.

"We really have a good, solid approach to security on our campus," said Peter Shaughnessy, president and principal of Bishop Stang High School.

"We're just ... reviewing our procedures and protocols and just ensuring that everyone feels comfortable with them, and I think that makes a big difference for teachers."

Wareham Superintendent Dr. Barry Rabinovitch said the district had recently revamped all of its security procedures, and staff across the district had received training this fall.

Rabinovitch visited all of the district's buildings Monday morning not only to make sure staff was aware of the protocols but also to make sure they were being followed, he said.

In Fairhaven, Superintendent Robert Baldwin said the district learns from each incident that occurs and continues to refine its approach to school safety. However, he continued, even as safety is of paramount importance, schools are also supposed to be part of the community.

"We are supposed to welcome parents in the community into our buildings to share with us," said Baldwin. "Are we going to turn ourselves into airports? Is that what we're meant to do?"

Bishop Stang's Shaughnessy echoed Baldwin's musings about balancing safety and a school's place in the community.

"To me, it's about striking the right balance between having the right security and realizing we're still a school, and you want a certain feeling of community and family to be remaining while in a very safe environment," he said.